Gary McAllister was appointed by Steven Gerrard as his backroom staff on his first day at Ibrox.
He was a captain of Scotland and starred in the treble-winning season of 2001, but also had experience as a manager.
The arrival of first-team coach Michael Beale went under the radar, but he was an important part of Rangers' resurgence during his three years in Scotland.
A lot of people don't know what Michael Beale does on the training pitch, but what he does is special.
The influence he had in his first spell at Rangers made the powerbrokers think he was the right man to revive the club.
How did he become one of the game's most respected coaches and what are the skills that made him stand out? His story is this one.
As a kid, he dreamed of making it in the professional game. The 21-year-old's hopes ended at the academy.
After he was introduced to a new way of playing in the United States and the Netherlands, he embarked on a path into coaching.
Beale decided to invest in the Brazilian Soccer Schools franchise because he had leftover funds from his playing days. It's like Brazil's answer to five-a-side football, but played with a smaller, low bounce ball to enhance close control and technical ability.
After running the programme in a church hall, he fell in love with developing youth at grassroots level and went on to become a part of the team.
"Your personality is so important," he told Coaches Voice. "It's someone's son or daughter. It's important you give them a fantastic interest and inspire them.
If a young child doesn't have the same energy after 15 minutes, you have got it wrong. It's the same for a football player.
A 10-year spell at Chelsea began on a part-time basis in 2003 before ending as a full-time youth coach having worked under Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink.
The Under-16s were overseen by Beale before he became the Under-23s coach. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones are two of the 18 players who have made their first-team debut in the last two years.
The most important man in the history of the game is one of the reasons why Beale's fascination with foreign football stems from a 1990s obsession with the show Football Italia.
His biggest influence has always been Sir Bobby Robson, not only because of his success and personality, but also for his willingness to coach abroad.
He was too good to turn down the chance to become an assistant at Sao Paolo, a club he describes as the "Manchester United orLiverpool of South America".
During an eight-month spell in Brazil, he developed his coaching by 50% and worked with players such as Eder Militao, who joined Real Madrid from Porto.
Before Rangers made their move for the Anfield icon a year later, there was a brief return to the city of his birth.
"One morning, he [Gerrard] called me," Beale says. "I didn't even know the number. He asked if I fancied meeting up for a coffee. I'd already heard a rumour that he was going to Rangers.
I was told the other day that I was going to be asked to go with him. I thought it was funny. It was happening right now.
It was always going to be a part of the coaching team that someone with Beale's knowledge and experience would be a part of it.
"What I'll never do is try to do someone else's job when they are better than me at doing it," Gerrard told The Robbie Fowler Podcast.
I let Mick be Mick because he's the expert and it would take me 15 to 20 years to get to the point where I could be as good as Michael.
The time on the training pitch created a lasting impact on the players he has coached as a result of the responsibility that was given to his right-hand man.
Former Rangers forward Kyle Lafferty said on Open Goal that Beale was "the brains behind it all", while Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said "you knew straight away he was a top coach".
Ex-Ibrox midfielders Andy Halliday and Greg Docherty have also given glowing endorsements, with Halliday telling The Athletic "he is probably the best coach I've worked under" and Docherty adding that he is the most "devoted" person to football he has ever seen.
The players are not the only ones who admire them. The former Rangers reserve team manager wished he was a player again, because he was so impressed by the work of the artist.
He does a great job with the players on the pitch.
He wanted us to copy it, so he gave me sessions to take it down. I was enjoying it immensely. I would like to participate in the training.
He is on the ball. He knows what he does. The players like it. His preparation for each game is very good.
Following his appointment as Villa's manager, Beale went on to become their boss.
He made such an impression at the Championship club that they wanted to hire him as their manager.
Beale's appointment may have some risk attached to it after only 20 league matches as a manager.
The man who was underestimated but excelled the first time he arrived at Ibrox is hoping to repeat his success on his second visit.
The first version of this article was published in March of 2011.
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